It can be difficult to get a high ranking on Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs) without the help of paid ads. The algorithm that Google uses to rank websites constantly changes, and no one has a completely perfect organic SEO strategy. Additionally, many companies invest a lot of money into SEO research, making your task even harder.

With that said, there are several things you can do to improve your organic SEO strategy that don’t involve spending money. Check out these three simple steps you can take to rank better and increase website traffic ASAP.

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Create Keyword Lists

The first step when working with keywords is considering how people may search for your products and services. Think about what your target audience would type into the search bar if they were looking for products or information associated with (or adjacent to) your brand. 

Keyword research can be done manually by looking at competitors’ sites and running your own keyword volume analyses, but using a keyword generation tool (there are both paid and free options) is often more effective. After choosing your primary/target keywords and doing some research, make a list of semantically related keywords you can utilize on your page to increase visibility and traffic.

The goal is to steadily increase the volume of keywords that you rank for, which will lead to more traffic from organic SEO overall.

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Optimize Your Page Titles

An important rule to remember when writing page titles, also known as meta titles, is to keep them under 70 characters when possible. Though Google measures meta title length in pixels as opposed to characters, their limit usually averages out to about 60-70 characters, at which point your title will be cut off when listed in Google’s search engine results.

Additionally, your primary keyword should make an appearance as close to the beginning of the title as possible. If you happen to have characters left, a good tip is to include your company’s name in the title, as it will help generate brand awareness. 

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Write Engaging Meta Descriptions

The idea of a meta description is to give viewers a short explanation of what a certain page is all about. Upon searching for a topic in Google, you will see every page’s meta description right below its title. Most people usually read them to understand what a particular webpage contains, and thus their primary role is to drive more clicks. 

When writing a meta description, it’s important to be succinct about the contents of the page and be direct about the value that your page will bring to the reader. Try using phrases such as “find out more about,” “learn how,” etc., as well as including some of your top semantically related keywords.

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The Bottom Line…

Creating an effective organic SEO strategy and understanding the algorithms that control your website’s ranking can be frustrating. Many factors go into your organic ranking on Google, including the overall quality of the content you produce, the quantity and quality of customer reviews, and the optimization of keywords, page titles, and descriptions. 

If you pay attention to the details and focus on producing content you’re proud of, you can generate higher traffic to your website without relying solely on paid ads.